24×7 Health Helpline for Government Run Health Facilities
Government of West Bengal
Health & Family Welfare Department
Strategic Planning & Sector Reform Cell
4th Floor, Wing B, Swasthya Bhawan
No. HF/SPSRC/49/2013/Hospital Admn/132 Dated: 17.06.2013
From: S.C. Tewary, IAS
Principal Secretary
To: 1. Director of Medical Education
2. Director of Health Services
Subject: Creation of Database for 24 x 7 Health Helpline
It has since been decided that the Health & Family Welfare Department will operate 24×7 Health Helpline on an outsourced basis. Patients, Patient Parties or the general public would receive the following two categories of services from the Helpline (a) Information regarding availability of essential service packages in State Government Run Health Facilities and (b) Assistance in availing the service packages rendered by the State Government Run Health Facilities.
2. Queries/ Requests for Assistance received from the Patients, Patient Parties or the general public would be populated in the customized software by Helpline Operators and forwarded immediately though voice call and/or SMS to the Hospital Authority concerned, to ensure that appropriate action to satisfy the query or resolve the problem can be taken expeditiously. Each Hospital Authority would be duty-bound to satisfy the query or address the request as soon as possible, and report compliance to the Helpline so that a feedback can be provided to the caller. Establishment of a 24X7 channel of communication between the Health Helpline and the Facility is therefore imperative.
3. Each Health Facility would have to identify Facility Manager(s) who would remain responsible for responding to each call from the Health Helpline on behalf of the Hospital Authority. S/he will also have to remain responsible for updating the static database related to availability of Hospital Services. As the Facility Manager(s) will have to attend calls from the Health Helpline-round the clock, Hospital Authorities are advised to recommend the names of at least 3 (three) responsible functionaries from amongst the Medical Superintendent cum Vice Principal; Superintendent; Deputy Superintendent, Nursing Superintendent; Deputy Nursing Superintendent; Assistant Superintendent or the Ward Masters – in hospitals where no Assistant Superintendent is posted, as Facility Managers.
4. Hospital Authorities may send the Names and Contact Telephone Numbers (Mobile) of the Facility Manager(s) identified in the following format to Dr. Kamalakanta Pati, Deputy Director of Health Services (Hospital Administration) through email addressed to ddhs_ha@wbhealth.gov.in orwbhabr@gmail.com within 21-06-2013 without fail. If no email is received within the date mentioned above, it would be presumed that the MSVP/ Superintendent of the Facility would act as the Facility Manager.
Sd/- S.C. Tewary
Principal Secretary